U.S. patent number 6,212,138 [Application Number 08/351,044] was granted by the patent office on 2001-04-03 for control system for compact disc phonograph.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Rowe International, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey J. Kalis, Frederick G. Robinson, Richard Van Dyk.
United States Patent |
6,212,138 |
Kalis , et al. |
April 3, 2001 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Control system for compact disc phonograph
Abstract
A compact disc automatic phonograph which records skips which
occur during playing of a selection as well as cancellations of
selections which occur as a result of the player not being able to
read a disk, an excessive skip time or an excessive number of
skips, as well as the times of occurrence of skips and
cancellations for later review. Autoplayb and free play features
may be set in terms of hours of the day and days of the week.
Selections which have been made but not yet played may be cancelled
after a predetermined interval following the time the phonograph
has been turned off.
Inventors: |
Kalis; Jeffrey J. (Grand
Rapids, MI), Robinson; Frederick G. (Holland, MI), Van
Dyk; Richard (Kentwood, MI) |
Assignee: |
Rowe International, Inc. (Grand
Rapids, MI)
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Family
ID: |
23514530 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/351,044 |
Filed: |
November 28, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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383745 |
Jul 20, 1989 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
369/30.06;
360/73.03; 369/19; 369/30.08; 369/30.27; G9B/17.056; G9B/19.005;
G9B/19.014; G9B/27.001; G9B/27.052; G9B/7.005; G9B/7.006;
G9B/7.095 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F
17/305 (20130101); G11B 7/0037 (20130101); G11B
7/00375 (20130101); G11B 7/0948 (20130101); G11B
17/228 (20130101); G11B 19/04 (20130101); G11B
19/06 (20130101); G11B 27/002 (20130101); G11B
27/36 (20130101); G11B 2220/20 (20130101); G11B
2220/2545 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G07F
17/00 (20060101); G11B 27/00 (20060101); G11B
7/0037 (20060101); G11B 27/36 (20060101); G07F
17/30 (20060101); G11B 19/04 (20060101); G11B
17/22 (20060101); G11B 19/06 (20060101); G11B
7/09 (20060101); G11B 7/00 (20060101); G11B
017/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;369/19,30,32-40,233-236,242 ;360/71,72.1,72.2,73.01,73.03 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0218572 |
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Apr 1987 |
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EP |
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0313359 |
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Apr 1989 |
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EP |
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Primary Examiner: Martin; David
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Van Dyke, Gardner, Linn &
Burkhart, LLP
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
07/383,745, filed Jul. 20, 1989, now abandoned.
Claims
Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:
1. In an automatic phonograph having a compact disc player adapted
to read from a compact disc encoded information as to the starting
time, ending time and elapsed playing time of each selection on the
disc, apparatus including means responsive to the starting time of
a selection for generating a real elapsed time signal, means for
comparing said real elapsed time signal with an apparent elapsed
time signal read from said disc and means responsive to said
comparing means for recording a skip when the difference between
said real elapsed time signal and said apparent elapsed time signal
corresponds to a time which is greater than a predetermined
time.
2. Apparatus as in claim 1 including means for cancelling a
selection when the difference between said real elapsed time signal
and said apparent elapsed time signal corresponds to a second
predetermined time which is greater than said first-named
predetermined time.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including means for changing
said first-named and second predetermined times.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said phonograph is adapted to
play selections from tracks of a number of discs, further including
means for recording the disc and track number corresponding to said
skip and said cancellation and means for reading the stored
information.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said recording means is
adapted to store the time of occurrence of said skip and the time
of occurrence of said cancellation of a selection.
6. In an automatic phonograph adapted to play a plurality of
selections and to be turned on and off, apparatus including means
for making selections from among said plurality, means for
registering selections which have been made, means for erasing from
said registering means selections as they are played and means
responsive to the passage of a predetermined time interval after
said phonograph has been turned off for erasing from said
registering means selections which have been made but not yet
played.
7. Apparatus as in claim 6 including means for setting said time
interval.
8. An automatic compact disc phonograph including in combination,
means for storing a plurality of compact discs having selections
recorded in the various tracks thereof, a player for playing said
discs, means for selecting a disc to be played by said player,
means for recording the number of times a selected disc could not
be read by the player together with the identity of the disc and
means for reading said recording means.
9. An automatic compact disc player as in claim 8 including means
for recording the time of occurrence of the last failure of a
particular disc to be read by said player.
10. In an automatic phonograph having a compact disc player adapted
to read from a compact disc encoded information as to the starting
time, ending time, and reported elapsed playing time of each
selection on the disc, apparatus comprising:
means responsive to starting a selection for generating a measured
elapsed time signal synchronized with a reported elapsed time
signal read from the disc;
means for comparing said measured elapsed time signal with said
reported elapsed time signal;
means responsive to said comparing means for recording a skip when
the difference between said measured elapsed time signal and said
reported elapsed time signal is greater than a predetermined
amount; and
means for resynchronizing said measured elapsed time signal to
correspond with said reported elapsed time signal upon the
occurrence of said skip so that subsequent skips can be detected
and recorded.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 including means for cancelling a
selection when the difference between said measured elapsed time
signal and said reported elapsed time signal corresponds to a
second predetermined amount which is greater than said first-named
predetermined amount.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 including means responsive to said
recording means for cancelling a selection when a number of said
skips exceeds a predetermined number.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 including first means for cancelling
a selection when said measured elapsed time signal differs from
said reported elapsed time signal by an amount corresponding to a
second predetermined amount which is greater than said first-named
predetermined amount, means for recording the number of said skips,
and second means responsive to said recording means for cancelling
a selection when the number of said skips exceeds a predetermined
number.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 including means for changing said
predetermined amounts and said predetermined number.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 in which said phonograph is adapted
to play selections from tracks of a number of discs, said recording
means recording the disc and track number corresponding to said
skips and cancellations and means for reading the stored
information.
16. A method for controlling an automatic phonograph having a
compact disc player adapted to read from a compact disc encoded
information as to the starting time, ending time, and reported
elapsed playing time of each selection on the disc, comprising the
steps of:
generating a measured elapsed time signal synchronized with a
reported elapsed time signal read from the disc at the start of a
selection;
comparing said measured elapsed time signal with said reported
elapsed time signal;
recording a skip when the difference between said measured elapsed
time signal and said reported elapsed time signal is greater than a
predetermined amount; and
resynchronizing said measured elapsed time signal to correspond
with said reported elapsed time signal upon the occurrence of said
skip so that subsequent skips can be identified and recorded.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of
cancelling a selection when the difference between said measured
elapsed time signal and said reported elapsed time signal
corresponds to a second predetermined amount which is greater than
said first-named predetermined amount.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of
cancelling a selection when a number of said skips exceeds a
predetermined number.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:
cancelling a selection when said measured elapsed time signal
differs from said reported elapsed time signal by an amount
corresponding to a second predetermined amount which is greater
than said first-named predetermined amount; and
cancelling a selection when the number of said skips exceeds
predetermined number.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of changing
said predetermined amounts and said predetermined number.
21. The method of claim 19 in which said phonograph is adapted to
play selections from tracks of a number of discs, the step of
recording further comprising recording the disc and track number
corresponding to said skips and cancellations, and further
comprising the step of reading the stored information.
22. In an automatic phonograph having a compact disc player adapted
to read from a compact disc encoded information as to the starting
time, ending time, and reported elapsed playing time of each
selection on the disc, an apparatus comprising:
a decoder in the compact disc player providing said reported
elapsed playing time read from the disc;
a clock that generates a measured elapsed time synchronized with
said reported elapsed playing time at the start of a selection;
a processor that compares said measured elapsed time with said
reported elapsed playing time; and
a recorder that records a skip when the difference between said
measured elapsed time and said reported elapsed playing time is
greater than a predetermined amount, said processor resynchronizing
said measured elapsed time to correspond with said reported elapsed
playing time upon the occurrence of said skip so that subsequent
skips can be detected and recorded.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the field of money-operated phonographs and
more specifically in the field of control systems for phonographs
which play compact discs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There have long been known in the prior art money responsive
automatic phonographs commonly known as "jukeboxes". These devices
of the prior art normally play selections from 45 rpm records
which, in response to the deposit of money and to making of a
selection by use of a keyboard or the like, extract the record
carrying the desired selection from a magazine and place it with
the proper side up on the player turntable.
Control systems for automatic phonographs of the type described
hereinabove incorporate a number of auxiliary features. They
include various accounting features which record the amount of
money which has been deposited in the machine, the number of times
each selection has been made and the like. By use of this
information, arrangements have been provided whereby the customer
may operate a particular button to play the most popular selection,
for example.
In addition to the most popular selection feature, some jukeboxes
of the prior art incorporate a feature by virtue of which a
selection is automatically played after a predetermined idle
period. A manually operable switch may be provided to permit the
machine to be set for a period of free play during which no money
need be depsited in order to make a selection.
There have recently come into widespread use phonographs which
incorporate lasers for reading music coded on a disc in digital
form. While these compact discs are very rugged devices, sometimes
they develop problems similar to those which may be encountered in
vinyl records. Skips and dropouts are not uncommon CD faults.
Sometimes the CD player may not be able to read the disc at all.
Control systems of the type discussed hereinabove make no provision
for cancelling a selection in the event that the record
incorporates a major defect. Neither do they provide any means for
recording such defects for later review to permit defective records
or discs to be replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of our invention is to provide an automatic phonograph
control system which is more sophisticated than are control systems
of the prior art.
Another object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which is especially adapted for use with
a CD player.
A further object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which automatically cancels a selection
after a predetermined number of skips.
Still another object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which automatically cancels a selection
after a predetermined maximum skip time has elapsed.
Still another object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which records all skips and cancellations
for later review.
A still further object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system having an autoplay feature which can be
set for days of the week, hours of the day, intervals between
autoplays and selected or random autoplays.
Yet another object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which has a free play feature which can
be set for the days of the week and times of the days.
An additional object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which can be set to clear unplayed
selections after a period of time following turnoff of the
phonograph.
Yet another object of our invention is to provide an automatic
phonograph control system which affords a most popular selection
display of particular tracks of a CD disc.
Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the
following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings to which reference is made in the
instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction
therewith and in which like reference characters are used to
designate the same parts in the various views:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a CD automatic phonograph which is
provided with our control system.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the keyboard of the phonograph shown in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of our control system for a CD automatic
phonograph.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the title display, digital display
and keyboard portions of the control system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a portion of the central control
computer of our control system.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the remainder of the central control
computer of our automatic phonograph control system.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a portion of the mechanism control
section of our control system.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the remainder of the mechanism
control section of our control system.
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of our system
in determining skips or defects in the discs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an automatic phonograph indicated
generally by the reference character 10 which may be provided with
our control system includes a cabinet 12, the front of which is
provided with a coin slot 14 and a bill insertion slot 16.
A title page display area indicated generally by the reference
character 18 located in a recess 20 in the front of the cabinet
behind a window 22 receives respective page assemblies 24 and 26.
Each of these page assemblies includes a plurality of panels 28.
Each panel 28 except the outermost panels comprises two pages on
the opposite sides thereof. Each page is adapted to receive three
CD jackets 30, 32 and 34, each of which includes pictorial matter
36 as well as alphanumeric descriptive material 38. U.S. Pat. No.
5,031,346 issued to Herring et al on Jul. 16, 1991 discloses the
page turning mechanism and the portion of the automatic phonograph
control system relating thereto.
The front of the cabinet 12 also receives a keyboard or pushbutton
array indicated generally by the reference character 44 as well as
a display area indicated generally by the reference character 46,
which is adapted to show the selection playing, the selection being
made, the selections remaining, as well as the service mode display
which will be described more fully hereinbelow.
The pushbutton or keyboard assembly includes respective pushbuttons
40 and 42 adapted to be pushed by a potential customer to change
the display by moving the pages of the sets 24 and 26 inwardly or
outwardly.
The assembly 44 also includes a plurality of numerical pushbuttons
152a through 152j corresponding to the "0" and to the digits 1 to 9
respectively. A reset button 156 and a popular button 154 complete
the assembly.
Referring now to FIG. 3, which is a block diagram of the control
system for our title display, the control system includes a
keyboard indicated by the block 120, adapted to input information
to a digital display system 122. This digital display unit 122
feeds information to and receives information from the title page
display unit 124.
A coin mechanism 126, which may for example be responsive to
nickels, dimes, quarters and half-dollars, provides monetary input
information to the central control computer 130 of the control
system.
A bill acceptor 128 which may, for example, accept $1 and $5 bills,
provides corresponding credit information to the central control
computer 130. As is known in the art, the central control computer
130 accumulates credit information from the coin mechanism 126 and
the bill acceptor 128 from which credit is subtracted as selections
are played.
The digital display unit 122 provides certain input information to
the central control computer and receives information therefrom
from which it provides various displays, such for example as the
selection being played and other information, as will be described
more fully hereinbelow.
The central control computer 130 has associated therewith a cancel
switch 132, which may be actuated to cancel a selection, as well as
an internally accessible service switch 134 which may be closed to
place the unit in a service mode for reasons which will be
described more fully hereinbelow.
The central control computer 130 provides the necessary inputs to
the mechanism control section 136 of the control system to cause
the jukebox to operate in the intended manner. The mechanism
control section communicates with the compact disc player 138
including the laser mechanism and CD decoder over lines 140 and
142.
In addition to communicating with the unit 138, the mechanism
control section provides the required signals for other various
units of the machine, such for example as the play counter 144, the
money counter 146, the transfer motor 148 and the magazine motor
150.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the keyboard assembly 120 which is
indicated generally by the reference character 44 in FIG. 1,
includes a pushbutton switch 40 adapted to be operated to cause the
title pages to flip outwardly and a pushbutton switch 42 adapted to
be operated to cause the pages to flip inwardly. In addition, the
keyboard 120 includes numeric pushbuttons 152a through 152j which
are operated to make selections in the normal operational mode of
the machine and which are operated in predetermined sequences in
the service mode of the machine. A "most popular" selection switch
154 and a reset switch 156 complete the switches of the keyboard
120. In the service mode, a pair of switches 158 and 160 internal
to the jukebox may be operated to cause the titles to move inwardly
or outwardly.
The title display unit 124 includes the drive motor 88, the
indexing switch 108, and the limit switch 110.
Associated with the title display page unit 124 and indicated as a
part of the digital display unit 122, is a motor driver 162 which
may for example be a Sprague Electric UDN 2953B. As will be
explained more fully hereinbelow, in operation of the system the
control circuitry knows the present location and direction of drive
of the display system so that proper control is achieved.
The visual display unit 164 may for example be a vacuum fluorescent
display of any type known to the art which is adapted to provide
the extent of display required. Associated with the unit 164, is a
display driver 166 which may be a Rockwell International 10937P. A
dual receiver 168 which may be a National Semiconductor DS88C20
couples the display data to the driver 166 which, in a manner known
to the art, actuates the display unit to provide the visible
display. We have indicated the nature of the couplings between the
digital display section 122 and the central computer 130 to the
right in FIG. 4.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 6, we have indicated the connection
between the digital display section 122 and the central control
computer 130 in the following manner. The channels indicated by the
reference characters 170a and 170b and 170c and 170d correspond to
the DISPLAY TX DATA and DISPLAY CLOCK and lead to a terminal
element 172 of FIG. 6. A first group of conductors corresponding
respectively to the logic common, the +8 volt DC line, the +28 volt
DC line and the power common, as well as a group of conductors 176a
to 176d, corresponding to the keyboard returns 0 through 3, are
coupled to a terminal element 178 of FIG. 6 in the order shown.
Conductors 180a through 180h which carry respective strobes 1 to 5
and 8 to 10 lead to a terminal element 182 of FIG. 6. Conductors
184a through 184e which correspond to the 0 strobe for the coin
switch, as well as the coin switch returns 0 to 3 are connected to
a terminal element 186 of FIG. 6.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the central control computer 130
includes a microprocessor 188 which may for example be a Hitachi
64180. The address output ports A0 through A7 of the microprocessor
188 are coupled to a driver 190 leading to an address bus 192 of
the system. Similarly, the output ports A8 through A15 of the
microprocessor 188 provide inputs to a second driver 194 which also
supplies the address bus 192. Drivers 190 and 194 may, for example,
be 74HCT244 drivers. The address bus 192 provides input data for an
EPROM 196 such as a 27512 and a RAM 198 such as a 6264. A third
driver 200 which may also be a 74HCT244 provides two more address
bits as well as command signals to a memory decoding matrix 202
which may, for example, be a 18P8 and to a calendar clock 204 which
may be, for example, a 72421.
As is known in the art, in response to actuation the EPROM and the
RAM are adapted to put out data on a data bus 206. Another driver
208 which may be a 74HCT245 couples the data bus 206 to the D0 to
D7 terminals of the microprocessor 188. Data bus 206 is coupled to
the D0 to D7 inputs of each of a pair of flip-flops 208 and 210
shown in FIG. 6, which flip-flops may, for example, be 74LS374
flip-flops. We also couple the data bus 206 to the terminals 1Y1 to
1Y4 and 2Y1 to 2Y4 of a buffer 212 which may be a 74HC244. A
conductor 214 connects the OUT SEL 1 to the clock input terminal of
the flip-flop 208 which provides output strobes 8 to 10 leading to
the terminal 182.
Another conductor 216 connects the OUT SEL 0 of the decoder 202 to
the clock input terminal of the flip-flop 210 which provides
strobes 0 through 7 associated with the terminal 182.
A conductor 218 connects the IN SEL terminal of the decoder 202 to
the buffer 212 which is associated with terminals 178 and 186.
Respective conductors 222, 224 and 226 connect the TXS RXS and CKS
ports of the microprocessor 188 to the D11, D12 and R01 inputs of
the circuit component 228 which may, for example, be a DS8923
associated with the terminal 172 to control the title page display.
A conductor 230 connects the 2A2 terminal of the component 212 to
the R02 input of the component 228 to cause the display to operate
in the "Attention" mode.
Compact disc player 138 which is incorporated in our phonograph may
be of any suitable type known to the art. For example, it may be a
Phillips CDM3 laser mechanism and decoder board. It incorporates
the laser mechanism for reading the disc and a decoder and
servoprocessor which communicates with the mechanism control 136
over a two wire serial bus identified by the reference characters
140 and 142. This bus carries the CDM START and CDM STOP signals as
well as the CD DATA.
Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the mechanism control assembly
including the servoprocessor communication and system communication
portions has a microprocessor 232. As is known in the art, the unit
138 puts out a CDM START signal which is fed to a line 234. We
apply this signal to the Q input terminal of a dual J-K flip-flop
236. Similarly, the unit 138 puts out a CDM STOP signal which is
fed a line 238 which we apply to the Q terminal of a second JK
flip-flop 240. We apply the clock signal on line 242 to the CLK
terminals of a second pair of JK flip-flops 244 and 246. Terminal
248 couples the SCL line 140 to the common terminal of a pair of
voltage dividing resistors 250 and 252 connected between a terminal
254 of +5 volts DC and the output of a buffer 256, the input of
which is connected to logic ground and the control terminal of
which is connected to the Q input of flip-flop 244. Flip-flops 236,
240, 244 and 246 may be of any suitable type such as 74HCT73.
Terminal 248 also connects the SDA line 142 to a common terminal of
a pair of voltage dividing resistors 258 and 260 connected between
terminal 254 and the input of a buffer 262, the output of which is
connected to the common JK terminals of flip-flop 246 and to a CDM
DATA line 264. We connect the control input terminal of buffer 262
to logic ground. Buffer 268, the control terminal of which is
connected to logic ground, couples the output of buffer 250 to the
clock line 242. A two-input NAND circuit 270, the inputs of which
are tied together, connects the output of buffer 266 to the CLK
terminal of flip-flop 240.
A CDM BIT TRAPPED line 272 connects the Q output of flip-flop 244
to the port P11 of microprocessor 232. A CDM DATA RX line 274
connects the Q output of flip-flop 246 to port P10 of the
microprocessor 152. We connect a CDM DATA TX line 276 to the
inhibit input terminal of a buffer 278, the input of which is
connected to logic ground and the output of which is connected to
the input of buffer 262.
IIC EN line 280 connects port P20 of the microprocessor 232 to CL
input terminals of flip-flops 236, 240, 244 and 246.
Terminal 248 connects an RC5 line 282 to the common input terminals
of a two input NAND circuit 284, the output of which is connected
to the common input terminals of a second two input NAND circuit
286 to provide the RC5 signal on line 288.
A transceiver 290 which may be a 75176, for example, couples
terminals 292 and 294 to line 296 carrying a SYSTEM Tx/Rx signal,
line 298 providing a SYSTEM Rx signal and line 300 carrying a
SYSTEM Tx signal.
Lines 242, 264 and 288 provide the D0 to D2 input to an eight input
DATA SEL component 302. A route selecting DIP switch array 304
provides the D5 to D7 inputs to component 302. The Y output and
A,B,C inputs of component 302 are connected respectively to ports
P13, P15, P16 and P17 of the microprocessor 232.
Apparatus for handling the compact discs and for moving them from
the supply magazine to the disc player will not be described in
detail since this apparatus per se forms no part of our invention.
This mechanism, however, does put out disc hold down signal on line
306, a cancel signal on line 308, an outer cam signal 310, an inner
cam signal on line 312, an index signal on line 314 and a home
signal on line 316. The signals just described provide the D0 to D5
inputs to another eight input DATA SEL circuit 318, the Y outputs
and A, B, C inputs of which respectively are connected to ports
P12, P15, P16 and P17 of the microprocessor 232.
Ports A0/D0 to A7/D7 of the microprocessor 232 supply a data bus
320. Ports A8 through A15 supply an address bus 322.
In addition to the signals described hereinabove, the operating
parts of the jukebox and its auxiliary equipment provide a money
counter signal on line 324, a play counter signal on line 328, a
magazine motor signal on line 330, a transport motor signal on line
332 and a detent solenoid signal on line 334. These signals provide
the Q0 to Q7 inputs to an octal edge triggered flip-flop 336 which
may, for example, be a 74LS374. Ports D0 through D7 of the
component 336 are coupled to the data bus 320.
An octal D-type buffer 338 has its ports D0 to D7 connected to the
data bus 320. Ports Q0 through Q7 of component 338 provide address
bits A0 to A7 on the address bus 322. It will be remembered that
bits A8 through A15 for the address bus 322 come from the
microprocessor 232.
An EPROM 340 responsive to address bits A0 to A14 provides outputs
O0 to O7 to the data bus 320.
A RAM 342 responsive to address bits A0 to A12 has input output
ports I/O0 to I/O7 connected to the data bus 320.
A line 344 connects the AS port of the microprocessor 152 to the G
port of the buffer 338. Inverter 346 couples the R/W 347 line of
microprocessor 232 to the DE port of the EPROM 340. A pair of
series connected inverters 348 and 350 connect the E port line 352
of microprocessor 232 to one input terminal of a two-input NAND
circuit 354, the other input of which is address bit A15. The
output of component 354 is connected to a CE input of EPROM 340. A
3-to-8 line decoder 356 which may be a 74HCT138 is responsive to
address bits A13 to A15 to provide outputs Y0 to Y7. An inverter
358 couples output line Y1 of decoder 356 to one input terminal of
the two-input NAND circuit 360, the other input of which is
supplied by inverter 350. We connect the output of component 360 to
the CS port of the RAM 342. A NAND circuit 362, one input of which
is provided by inverter 346 and the other input to which is
provided by line 352, has an output which is coupled to the WE
input port of RAM 342. Inverter 364 couples the Y2 terminal of
component 356 to one input of a two input NAND circuit 366, the
other input to which is provided by line 352. Circuit 366 provides
the clock CLK input to component 336.
As is known in the art, in making a compact disc in the recording
studio an original analog sound input wave form is sampled at
regular intervals. The measured values are then converted into a
series of binary numbers in a quantization step by means of an
analog to digital converter. These numbers are encoded into a pulse
train, multiplexed and the Cross-Interleaved Reed-Solomon code is
added. Then the compact disc subcode is inserted to make it easy to
find and to program information. The subcode tells how many tracks
are on the disc, as well as the start time, the ending time and the
elapsed time of each track. The elapsed time indicates what point
on the disc is "currently being read".
Real time clock 204 of the central control computer 130 provides
information indicating the day of the week as well as the time of
day in the manner of a 24 hour clock. That is to say, an output
indicating 0200 is 2 a.m. while an indication of 1400 is 2 p.m. In
our arrangement we begin a count using the timer interrupt in
device 232 in response to the selection start time indication from
the decoder of the unit 138. This interrupt elapsed time is
compared with an elapsed time indication from unit 138. If they
differ by more than plus or minus one second an indication is given
that the disk has "skipped". Explained more fully, the CD is not
read in real time. The laser picks up the musical information in
digital form together with subcode information. This digital
information is stored and then converted to analog for playing. In
determining skips, the mechanism control assembly asks the Philips
decoder where it is in the course of playing a selection. If it
says we are at 8 and, on the basis of the interrupt elapsed time
determined from the unit 232, it should be at 5, a skip is
indicated. Similarly, if at a later time it says it is at 9,
whereas it should be at 11, that is recorded as a second skip.
The general mode of communication between a keyboard processor such
as that employed in our automatic phonograph and the servoprocessor
forming part of the unit 138 is known in the art, it will not be
dibed in detail. In general, communication is by means of a set of
high level commands which the servoprocessor translates into
procedures and signals for the servo system and decoder and reports
its state to the keyboard processor. The servoprocessor stores the
subcode data from the decoder and when not busy controlling the
pickup, the processor transmits the subcode to the keyboard
processor.
Referring now to FIG. 9, we have shown a flow chart illustrating
the operation of our control system in detecting skips and in using
and displaying the resultant information. When a selection is made
the disc carrying the selection in one of its tracks first is
transferred to the player from the storage magazine. The disc is
spun up, the table of contents is read by the decoder. The
mechanism control assembly requests this table of content(TOC) data
from the player. Next it issues a command to the player to play the
selected track. The status code of the player is read and the one
millisecond timer is synchronized with the player reported time.
When the synchronization has been achieved, the status code is
continually read from the player. A determination is made of
whether or not the elapsed time recorded by the player differs from
the interrupt elapsed time by more than one second. If the answer
is no, a determination next is made as to whether or not the
selection length of time has elapsed. If the answer to this
question is no, the system continues to make a comparison of the
reported elapsed time with the interrupt elapsed time until the
selection is over. When the selection is over, a stop command is
issued to the player and the system continues in its normal mode of
operation.
If the answer to the question of whether or not the reported
elapsed time is different from the interrupt elapsed time by more
than one second is yes, a determination next is made as to whether
or not the skip time is equal to or greater than the set cancel
time. If the answer to this question is yes, the error condition is
reported to central control computer for logging and a stop command
is issued to the player so that the selection is automatically
cancelled and the system returns to its normal operation.
If, following a determination that the reported elapsed time
differs from the interrupt elapsed time by more than one second, a
determination is made that the skip time is less than the set
cancelled time, "1" is added to the skip counter and a
determination is made of whether or not the skip count is equal to
the set skip count. If it is, this condition is reported to the
central control computer and a stop command is issued to the player
to cancel this selection. If the skip count is not yet equal to the
set skip count, the interrupt timer is resynchronized and the
system returns to the question of whether or not an elapsed time
reported by the player is different from the interrupt elapsed time
by more than one second.
As is pointed out hereinabove, we provide our system with means for
permitting the operator of the phonograph to view disc conditions
which have theretofore been determined and logged. In order to do
so, the operator closes the service switch 134 and the display 46
shows SERVICE MODE. When that has been done the digits 8 and 6 are
typed in by actuating pushbuttons 152i and 152g. The display 46
then shows DISC CONDITIONS. Popular button 154 is actuated. If
there have been no conditions reported, a display 46 indicates this
fact by showing NO CONDITIONS.
If in fact there have been some conditions which have been logged,
when the popular button 154 is operated a display will show SEL
followed by a first two digit number which will be the disc number
followed by a second two digit number which will be the track
number. Also displayed will be the legend OCC followed by a two
digit number indicating the number of occurrences. The operator
then holds the reset button 156 while pushing the button 152j
corresponding to the digit 9. When that has been done, the display
carries the legend CANCEL followed by a two digit number indicating
the number of seconds and the legend SKIP followed by a two digit
number indicating the number of skips. Again pushing the reset
button 156 and holding it, button 152j corresponding to the digit 9
is again pushed upon which the display 36 shows TIME followed by
two two-digit numbers separated by a colon indicating the time of
the last occurrence and a second display of two two-digit numbers
separated by a slash indicating the date of the last occurrence by
month and day.
Holding the reset button 156 and pressing button 152d corresponding
to the digit 3, the next disc condition can be viewed. Holding the
reset button 156 and pushing the button 152c corresponding to the
digit 2, the previous disc condition can be viewed. These steps are
carried out as often as necessary to view the conditions of all the
discs in the phonograph. Having viewed the conditions, the operator
can of course clean or replace the discs as necessary.
In connection with the disc number and track number display noted
hereinabove, selections ending in 00 do not actually exist. If the
display selection number ends in 00 it means that the CD player
could not correctly read the disc's table of contents. In such a
case, it may be that the disc is installed backwards, is dirty, is
a bad disc, is not initialized, or is absent.
In the display immediately following the display of the disc and
selection number, the number after the legend CANCL represents the
total amount of time in which the selection was off when it was
cancelled. For example, if 12 is reported the selections skip ahead
or back by twelve seconds. The maximum skip time before
cancellation can be set in the manner described hereinbelow.
The second number reported after the SKIP legend is the number of
times the disc skipped by more than one second. The limit of skips
permitted may be set in a manner described hereinbelow. It would
readily be appreciated that if a condition is reported because of
this parameter, the number will always be the same as the
programmed limit.
The total permissible skip time before cancellation, as well as the
total number of skips which are permitted before cancellation can
be set during the initialization portion of the program. First,
switch 134 is closed to place the apparatus in the service
condition. Next, the buttons 152d and 152g corresponding to the
digits 3 and 6 are pressed. When that has been done, the new number
is typed and popular button 154 is actuated.
In setting the cancel time with the control system in the service
mode, buttons 152d and 152h are pressed. Next, the new number is
typed in and the popular button 154 is pressed.
The disc conditions which have been logged in the memory will
remain therein until they are cleared in the following manner. With
the control system in the service mode with the machine set so that
it is in the service mode and the display shows SERVICE MODE,
button 152i corresponding to the digit 8 is pushed and the display
will indicate STATUS. Pushing button 152h corresponding to 7 will
result in the display of CLEAR CONDITIONS. Next, the popular button
154 is pushed and the display of CLEAR CONDITIONS will blink and
then reappear. In this way all of the disc conditions will have
been removed from the memory.
As has been pointed out hereinabove, our system incorporates a
number of other significant features in addition to that of
detecting, recording and displaying disc conditions. One of these
features is the option for clearing selections which remain to be
played after a period of time during which the phonograph is off.
The significance of this feature will readily be appreciated from
the fact that at the time of closing of the establishment in which
the phonograph is located, there may remain to be played a number
of selections. The proprietor may well wish to have such selections
cleared automatically after a period of time during which the
phonograph is off. For example, a time of four hours may be
selected. In our control system this option may be toggled on and
off by holding the reset button 156 and actuating button 152j
corresponding to the digit 9. When the automatic clear option has
been set to either the on or off condition, the change can be
preserved by pushing the popular button 154. It will readily be
appreciated that these operations take place when the system is in
the SERVICE mode.
We also provide means for changing the time of the clear option to
a different amount of time. This is achieved in the service mode of
the system by actuating buttons 152g, 152j and 152b in sequence,
typing in a new time and then operating the popular button 154.
The timed free play feature allows the operator to program specific
days and times of day as free play time. This is achieved by
comparing times set in the memory with the times indicated by the
real time clock 204. With the control system in the SERVICE mode,
the timed free play may be turned on or off by actuating buttons
152f and 152e corresponding to the digits 5 and 4 sequentially.
With the reset button 156 held, the button 152j can be pushed to
turn the timed free play schedule on or off. After the schedule has
been set on or off the popular button 154 is pressed to preserve
the change.
By pushing button 152f twice, holding the reset button 156 and
pushing button 152j, the free play can be turned off immediately
without waiting for the start or stop time. Pushing popular button
154 saves the change.
In order to set the free play scheduled start time of day buttons,
152f and 152g corresponding to digits 5 and 6, are pressed in
sequence. Next, the time of day is entered in 24 hour playout. To
set the stop time, buttons 152s 152h are pressed in sequence and
again the time is entered in 24 hour format.
The days of the week on which the free play feature will turn on
can be set by operating buttons 152f and 152i sequentially. Then,
the reset button 156 is held and either button 152c or 152d is
pushed to move from day to day. The display will show SMTWTFS and
the representation of the day currently selected will blink. Under
these conditions, by holding the reset button 156 and pushing
button 152j, the day selected is turned on or off. Popular button
154 is pushed to preserve any selections which have been made.
Specifically, if the operator of the machine wishes to have free
play on from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,
the following sequence of operations is performed. The timed free
play is set to on. The free play status is set to off. Start time
is set at 17:00 and stop time set to 18:00 and the on days are set
to MWF. As has been pointed out hereinabove, the free play status
will turn on when the start time matches the hour output of the
reel time clock 204 and the day of the week matches the clock day.
The free play status will be turned off when the set stop time
matches the output of the real time clock 204.
In addition to the features described hereinabove, our control
system permits AUTOPLAY to be set automatically for different days
and for the times of day, as well as the selections in time between
selections. In order to set the various AUTOPLAY parameters, button
152e corresponding to the digit 4 first is pressed. If the button
152a corresponding to "0" next is actuated, the AUTOPLAY can be set
either on or off by holding the reset button 156 and pushing button
152j to toggle between the two options. Pushing the popular button
154 sets the option.
In order to set the delay time between AUTOPLAY selections, buttons
152e and 152b are pushed in sequence. The number of minutes desired
between autoplays is then typed in and the popular button 154 is
actuated.
The time of day that autoplay is allowed to begin is set by
sequentially pushing buttons 152e and 152c. Next, the hour in 24
hour format is entered. This is achieved by typing the hour and
actuating the popular button 154 and then setting the minute and
pressing the popular button 154 again.
Stop time for the autoplay is set in a manner similar to start time
by first actuating buttons 152e and 152d sequentially and then
setting in the time in 24 hour format.
To set the days of the week when autoplay can operate, button 152e
is pressed twice. When that has been done, the reset button 156 is
held and either button 152c or 152d is actuated to move from day to
day. The display shows SMTWTFS and the day currently selected
blinks. By holding the reset button 156 and pushing button 152j,
the day can be turned on or off. Again, the popular button 154 is
actuated to save the changes.
The individual selections which will be played in the course of an
autoplay operation, can be set by sequentially pushing buttons 152e
and 152f. When this has been done, the selections to be played are
set.
Sequential operation of buttons 152e and 152g clears all the
program selections upon pushing of the popular button 154.
The autoplay status can be changed at once without waiting for the
start or stop time of day by sequentially operating buttons 152e
and 152h and then holding the reset button 156 and toggling on or
off by operating button 152j. The popular button 154 is operated to
save the changes.
It will readily be appreciated that the various autoplay conditions
described hereinabove all are performed with the system in the
SERVICE mode.
Our system also permits of reading out the popularity of the
various discs and selections. With the system set in the SERVICE
mode, buttons 152b and 152h are pressed and the display shows the
most popular disc number followed by the number of plays that disc
had. The next most popular may be displayed by holding the reset
button 156 and pressing button 152d. In this manner, the display
will show the discs in the order from most popular to least
popular. By holding the reset button 156 and pushing button 152c
the display will move upwardly through the popularity order toward
the most popular. The popularity for any particular disc can be
obtained by pressing the disc number.
Conversely to the most popular display, our system provides a least
popular disc display which is entered by sequentially pushing
buttons 152b and 152i to display the least popular disc and the
number of plays. By holding reset and pressing 2, each successive
least popular disc will be displayed. By holding the reset button
156 and pushing 152d, the display moves up through the popularity
display toward the least popular disc. Again, the popularity of a
particular disc can be obtained by pushing the disc number.
In addition to displaying the most popular and least popular discs,
our system permits of displaying the most popular selection. This
is achieved with the system in the SERVICE mode by sequentially
pushing the buttons 152b and 152j so that the display shows a total
of four digits indicating the selection, followed by the number of
plays that selection had. By holding reset button 156 and pushing
button 152d, the system displays each successive most popular
selection. Conversely, by pushing and holding the reset button 156
and pressing button 152c, the display will move upwardly toward the
most popular selection.
It will be seen that we have accomplished the objects of our
invention. We have provided an automatic phonograph control system
which is more sophisticated than are control systems of the prior
art. Our system is especially adapted for use with a CD player. Our
system automatically cancels a selection after a predetermined
number of skips. It likewise cancels a selection after a
predetermined maximum skip time has elapsed. Our arrangement
records all skips and cancellations for later review on the
phonograph display. Our control arrangement includes an autoplay
feature which can be set for days of the week, hours of the day,
intervals between autoplays and selected or random autoplays. We
have provided a free play feature which can be set for days of the
week and times of the day. Our control automatically clears
unplayed selections after a period of time during which the
phonograph is off.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are
of utility and may be employed without reference to other features
and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and within the scope
of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be
made in details within the scope of our claims without departing
from the spirit of our invention. It is, therefore, to be
understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific
details shown and described.
* * * * *